Chef Boyardee's Worst Canned Pasta, According To Our Taste Test

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There's an alluring aura around canned pastas that's difficult to ignore. Maybe it's the fact that they're inspired by classic Italian dishes like ravioli and lasagna or Italian-American recipes like spaghetti and meatballs. Or maybe it's just their nostalgia factor. No matter the reason, there's no denying that only one canned pasta brand reigns supreme, and it's Chef Boyardee. Created in 1928 by Hector Boiardi and his brothers Paul and Mario, the Chef Boyardee company has secured itself as an American staple — so much so that its canned ravioli kept American soldiers fed during World War II. Years later, it remains a beloved meal in most American households since it appeases the pickiest of eaters and takes less than a few minutes to make. Plus, Chef Boyardee canned pastas are a great meal for anyone shopping on a budget. However, not all of these dishes are worth your money, and there's one you should avoid at all costs. It's the Mini Spaghetti Rings and Meatballs.

If you're looking for a lackluster meal that fails to replicate everything that makes spaghetti and meatballs iconic, this is it. This canned pasta is so disappointing that when Tasting Table ranked Chef Boyardee products, it placed last. Unfortunately, there's nothing appetizing about this food. The spaghetti rings are extremely small and so delicate that they immediately become one with the sauce when you start stirring it. The pasta also has zero texture and quickly dissolves on your tongue. It's like you're eating air that's cosplaying as spaghetti. Plus, the pasta-to-sauce ratio is severely miscalculated. Instead of having an equal amount of both, you get mainly sauce and a whisper of spaghetti rings. Considering the pasta is clearly advertised on the packaging, it's a shame you hardly get to enjoy it.

Even the sauce is underwhelming. It's thin and has an unpleasant soupy texture. It's as if too much water was added to the sauce. This is very plausible since water is the first ingredient listed on the label. Although the product's Walmart listing advertises a "hearty tomato sauce," the reality fails to live up to the description.

Like the pasta, Chef Boyardee failed to include a reasonable amount of another key ingredient. This time it's the meatballs. There are supposed to be tiny meatballs made from dark chicken meat, beef, and pork present within the sauce. However, the only time you'll see them is when you look at their picture on the can. Otherwise, they hardly make their presence known. And the few you do get are a total letdown with minimum flavor.

If you insist on eating the Mini Spaghetti Rings and Meatballs, just know one can will cost $1.18 at Walmart and less than $2 at other grocery stores. Meanwhile, Amazon offers a 12-pack for about $1.18 per microwaveable bowl. Although each can has about two servings, you'll probably still be hungry given how insubstantial it is. That said, each serving is 250 calories and has 600 milligrams of sodium. That's 25% of the sodium you should be consuming daily. So, if you're watching how much salt you eat, you might want to avoid this dish. Despite the lacking meatballs, one serving has 9 grams of protein. This canned pasta is also made with no artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors.